Nobuyoshi Tamura, 8^th Dan, Shihan, died on July 9, 2010. Tamura Sensei was not only a great teacher of Aikido but also a wonderful human being. I trained with him in the 1980’s and 90’s several times, including twice at his Summer Camp in Saint-Mandrier in the South of France. Because of his great gifts to the development and practice of Aikido during his lifetime, this past Sunday’s class (July 12^th) was a memorial class honoring his life by teaching several of the techniques that are not frequently taught in seminars, except by him. I taught several techniques from Sode Dori (sleeve grab) and Mune Dori (chest grab) that Tamura Sensei often taught in seminars, especially in his later years. Everyone enjoyed practicing techniques from these attacks that, for some, was a new experience.

Training with Tamura Sensei was a very special experience. His Summer Camp was a multicultural affair. Scores of Aikidoka from many countries in Europe and North Africa attended this Camp, which was held in an armory-like building with a giant mat space. Tamura Sensei taught two 90-minute classes each morning, leaving the afternoons free for lounging on the beach or whatever. At 5 PM one of his senior students would teach a class. Tamura Sensei was a very active teacher, watching students intently and correcting students of all ranks as he noticed a flaw in their technique.

I have a very fond memory from my first Camp with Tamura Sensei that speaks to the quality of his character. On one of the days, lunch was arranged for all the attendees. Sensei and I ended up sitting close to each other on either leg of an L-shaped table. At one point during lunch he looked at my empty wine glass and asked (in French of course) if he could get me another glass of wine. I was dumbfounded at the graciousness of such a renowned Aikido shihan.

Tamura Sensei was loved by many Aikidoka. At the 1994 USAF Summer Camp commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the USAF under the leadership of Y. Yamada Shihan, Tamura Sensei was invited to teach. Of the 700-or-so attendees at the Camp, maybe 300 attended any given shihan class. However, when Tamura Sensei taught, it seemed like all 700 students turned out for the class, leaving about a square meter for each pair to work out. Even in this crowded environment, he “worked” the mat, engaging as many students as possible in the time available.

Tamura Sensei is certainly remembered as a great Aikido teacher who had a tremendous influence on the development of Aikido in Europe and North Africa. But in addition, I hope that he is remembered for the personal qualities that he exhibited and his love of Aikido that was always apparent in his teachings. Thanks to his books and YouTube videos, he leaves us all a legacy of his Aikido and the ways he taught it. — Jim Graves, Chief Instructor

This past Saturday I taught Aiki weapons at Southland Aikido in Monterey Park. Aiki weapons practice is an integral part of Aikido training, which utilizes the jo (wooden staff) and bokken (wooden sword) in both individual techniques and partner practice. In this class we practiced the most basic 8-move kata (series of individual techniques) and a 7-move kumijo (partner practice). We ended the class with a sequence of using the jo to defend against a bokken strike (called ken tai jo).

Many people find Aiki weapons training to be a fun and exciting martial art in itself. But why is it an important part of overall Aikido training? First, weapons work increases the sense of reality of an attack. A hard oak jo or bokken coming at you makes you want to move out of the way – an important principle of Aikido. Second, weapons training help to facilitate our sense of timing in defending against an attack. If too early we miss the parry; too late and we may get hit. Third, weapons work accentuates where we need to be not to get hit but also to be able to affect a defensive maneuver, thus facilitating our movement to a proper position. And finally, in Aikido it is important not to focus visually on the incoming strike, but rather to view the entire individual launching the attack. When the strike is coming from a jo or bokken, there is even a greater inclination to focus on the weapon. This provides an opportunity to counter this inclination and remedy the error.

In addition to the training benefits for the individual in the defensive role identified above, there are also benefits for the person launching the strike. On the offensive side, weapon’s work sharpens the precision of our strikes and our movement to the proper position and distance for an effective strike. We also learn a variety of different strikes, which provides the opportunity to engage in multiple forms of partner practice. Perhaps the most important skill in weapons training from a safety standpoint is the ability to stop the attack on a dime, even if the strike is full speed and full force. This allows experienced students to engage in full-speed partner practice without the fear of serious injury.

Bottom line, Aiki weapons training is not only fun and often exhilarating, but it is also an integral and important aspect of training in the art of Aikido. — Jim Graves, Chief Instructor